I, Kizaru, only came to the chat group after I became invincible

Chapter 394 The Retreat Route

Zoro said as he walked.

"His expression and tone were very strange."

"Yeah?"

Luffy scratched his head.

"I didn't pay much attention."

"No matter what, let's go see that pirate captain first."

"If he really is a bad person, I will never let him get away with it!"

Usopp muttered to himself:
"I hope the opponent isn't too strong; I don't want to end up as mincemeat."

The three of them traveled westward along the coastline.

On the way, they encountered some local fishermen.

"Excuse me, do you know about the Black Flag Pirates?"

Sauron asked an old fisherman.

The old fisherman's face showed a complicated expression when he heard the name.

"Black Flag Pirates, are you here to cause them trouble?"

“If they do something wrong, of course we should intervene.”

Luffy answered directly.

The old fisherman was silent for a while, then sighed.

"Those kids... sigh, they're not really bad."

"I only took this path because I was forced by life's circumstances."

"What's the meaning?"

Zoro keenly sensed the meaning behind the old fisherman's words.

"It's nothing, just be careful."

The old fisherman shook his head, unwilling to say more.

Luffy and his crew continued on their way.

The further west you go, the fewer fishermen and residents you encounter.

Finally, they arrived at a relatively remote bay.

Sure enough, a pirate ship was anchored deep in the bay.

The black flag on the ship fluttered in the sea breeze, and the skull and crossbones pattern stood out prominently in the sunlight.

"That's the ship!"

Usopp observed through his binoculars.

"There seem to be a lot of people on the ship, and they all look like they're busy with something."

"Let's go straight there!"

Luffy said without hesitation.

"Hey, Luffy! At least observe the situation first!"

Zoro tried to stop Luffy, but Luffy had already stretched out his arm and grabbed a big tree across the bay.

"Rubber rubber—rocket!"

Luffy launched himself out like a slingshot, flying directly towards the pirate ship.

"That idiot!"

Zoro shook his head helplessly, then ran along the coastline with Usopp.

Luffy landed on the deck of the pirate ship, immediately attracting the attention of the crew.

"Intruder!"

"It's Straw Hat Luffy!"

"Quickly notify the captain!"

The crew members picked up their weapons and surrounded Luffy.

But Luffy didn't attack immediately. Instead, he looked around and observed the pirates.

To his surprise, although these pirates were carrying weapons, they did not have fierce expressions on their faces.

Instead, it carried a sense of caution and defensiveness, as if protecting something important.

"You must be Straw Hat Luffy?"

A deep voice came from inside the cabin.

Red emerged from the cabin, a longsword in his hand.

His expression was serious, but there was no murderous intent in his eyes.

"You're the captain of the Black Flag Pirates?"

Luffy looked at Red and asked directly.

"Yes, I am Reid."

Red nodded.

What brings you here?

"I heard you've been doing bad things on this island, so I've come to stop you!"

Luffy makes no attempt to hide his purpose.

Upon hearing this, Reid's expression became even more serious.

"Do bad things? Where did you hear that?"

"It was Marcus, the president of the Chamber of Commerce, who told us!"

Luffy replied.

He said you robbed merchant ships and oppressed civilians!

Upon hearing Marcus's name, a flash of anger crossed Red's eyes.

"That Marcus guy is spreading rumors again, just like always."

"What rumor? You mean he's lying?"

Luffy keenly sensed the unusual tone in Raide's voice.

Reid was silent for a moment, then shook his head.

"Forget it, there's no point in saying all this."

"Since you've come looking for trouble, let's settle this with our fists."

As he spoke, Red raised the longsword in his hand.

"But I must tell you first, I won't show any mercy."

Luffy also assumed a fighting stance.

"Me too! If you're really a bad person, I'll never let you get away with it!"

The two men's auras began to clash, and the entire ship was shrouded in a tense atmosphere.

Just then, Zoro and Usopp arrived at the bay.

"Luffy, that guy, charged in alone again!"

Zoro looked at the situation on the pirate ship with a worried expression on his face.

"Should we go up and help?"

Usopp raised his slingshot.

"Wait and see how things go."

Zoro carefully observed the movements on the ship.

On the pirate ship, Luffy and Red's battle is about to begin.

"Second gear!"

Luffy held nothing back and immediately activated Gear Second.

Steam rose from his body, and his skin turned red.

"Rubber rubber—JET pistol!"

Luffy's fist struck Red at an extremely fast speed.

Red swung his sword to block, but Luffy was too fast, and he almost didn't have time to react.

"So fast!"

Red was secretly alarmed, but he didn't stop what he was doing.

"Fiery Slash!"

Flames erupted from the longsword, which slashed towards Luffy.

Luffy nimbly dodged while simultaneously counterattacking.

"Rubber rubber—JET whip!"

The leg attack came from the side, and Red barely managed to block it with the hilt of his sword.

But the immense force still knocked him back several steps.

"Their strength is indeed formidable."

Red wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"As expected of Straw Hat Luffy with a bounty of 1.5 billion."

"But I'm not one to be trifled with either!"

Red's body began to change; his muscles swelled and his skin turned a deep red.

"A Zoan-type Devil Fruit?"

Luffy immediately noticed Red's change.

"That's right, Zoan-type Cat-Cat Fruit, Leopard Mode!"

Red completed his transformation, becoming a half-human, half-leopard form.

His speed and strength have been greatly improved.

"Leopard claws flailing wildly!"

Red brandished his claws and launched a fierce attack on Luffy.

Luffy dodged and counterattacked simultaneously.

The battle between the two intensified, leaving countless attack marks on the deck.

But during the battle, Luffy gradually noticed something strange.

Although Red's attacks were fierce, he always avoided vital points.

Moreover, there was no murderous intent in his eyes; it was more like a friendly sparring match.

"This guy is weird."

Luffy was puzzled.

"If he was really a bad guy, why didn't he kill him?"

Just as Luffy was distracted, Red's claws reached for his chest.

Luffy instinctively used his arm to block, but Red's attack suddenly stopped.

Because Luffy has a deep old scar on his arm.

That's a scar Luffy left on his arm when he was a child, to prove his courage.

When Red saw the scar, a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

"Is this a scar from my childhood?"

Red muttered to himself.

"To prove your courage and determination?"

Luffy was somewhat surprised that Red could tell the origin of the scar.

"How did you know?"

Reid gave a wry smile. "Because I did the same thing when I was a kid."

As he spoke, Red rolled up his sleeve, revealing a similar scar on his arm.

Luffy was stunned when he saw this.

The two scars were almost identical, in the same location and of the same length.

"you also.?"

Luffy stared at Red in disbelief.

"Yes, I was very naive when I was little. I thought that cutting my arm with a knife would prove that I was a brave man."

A look of reminiscence crossed Red's eyes.

"Back then, I didn't know that true courage isn't about proving something to others, but about protecting what's important."

Hearing Red's words, Luffy's doubts deepened.

Could such a person really be the villain Marcus described?

Just as the two were talking, a sudden commotion came from the deck.

"Captain! Something terrible has happened!"

A pirate crew member ran over in a panic.

"The Chamber of Commerce's fleet is here! They're carrying cannons!"

Upon hearing this news, Reid's expression immediately changed.

"What? How did they know we were here?"

"I don't know! But they did come! And it looks like they're serious!"

Red immediately stopped fighting Luffy and ran to the side of the ship to observe the situation.

Sure enough, three warships equipped with cannons appeared at the entrance to the bay.

The ship was flying the Chamber of Commerce flag, clearly sent by Marcus.

"hateful!"

Red gritted his teeth.

"Marcus is trying to wipe them out completely!"

Luffy followed to the ship's side, looking at the warship in the distance.

"Are those the Chamber of Commerce's ships?"

"Yes."

Red nodded.

"This time they really want to wipe us out."

"Why? What exactly did you do?"

Luffy asked confused.

Red glanced at Luffy, then smiled wryly:
"Our crime was stopping them from exploiting the poor."

"What's the meaning?"

Luffy was even more confused.

But Reid had no time to explain.

"Everyone, prepare for battle!"

Red shouted to his crew.

"Protect the supplies on the ship! They're meant to be distributed to the islanders!"

Upon hearing Red's words, Luffy's doubts reached their peak.

What supplies were distributed to the islanders?
This is completely different from what Marcus said!

Just then, the merchant guild's warships launched an attack.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The cannonballs flew toward the Black Flag Pirates' ship.

Red and his crew immediately began to retaliate.

However, their firepower was clearly inferior.

"Captain! We're running out of ammunition!"

"Besides, the enemy has three ships; we can't defeat them!"

The crew members' voices were filled with despair.

Red's face was very ugly.

If this fails, not only will they die, but the merchant guild will also seize the supplies on board.

Those poor people waiting for relief are doomed.

Just as Red was preparing for a desperate battle, Luffy suddenly stepped forward.

"Wait a moment!"

Luffy walked up to Red.

"The supplies you mentioned earlier, are they meant to be distributed to the islanders?"

"Yes."

Red nodded.

"The food, medicine, and clothing in the cabin are intended for distribution to families facing financial difficulties."

"Then why did you rob the merchant guild's ships?"

Luffy continued to ask.

Reid was silent for a moment, then said:
"Because the Chamber of Commerce monopolizes all trade, it drives up prices very high."

"Ordinary people cannot afford daily necessities and can only suffer from hunger and cold."

"We robbed the merchant guild's ships so that we could distribute these supplies to those in need."

Upon hearing this explanation, Luffy's doubts vanished instantly.

That's it!

No wonder he always felt that Red wasn't a bad person.

So they were actually robbing the rich to help the poor!

"Then why didn't you just tell me?"

Luffy asked.

Red gave a wry smile.

"Because legally, we are indeed pirates; we did rob a merchant ship."

Even if I gave a reason, no one would believe me.

"Besides, you were invited by Marcus, so I assumed you were one of his accomplices."

After hearing Red's explanation, Luffy understood completely.

This Red is not a bad person at all; on the contrary, he is a good person!
The real villain is Marcus!

Just then, the Chamber of Commerce's warships fired another round of cannonballs.

"boom!"

A cannonball struck the Black Flag Pirates' ship, and a fire broke out on the deck.

"Oh no! The supply depot is on fire!"

The crew rushed to put out the fire.

If the supplies are burned, the poor people waiting for relief will truly have no hope.

Seeing this, Luffy could no longer hold back.

"stop!"

Luffy stood at the bow of the ship and shouted loudly towards the merchant guild's warship.

"I will not allow you to hurt these people!"

With that, Luffy was about to jump into the sea and swim towards the merchant guild's warship.

But Red stopped him.

"No need, Straw Hat Luffy."

A grateful smile appeared on Reid's face.

"Thank you for believing in us, but this is a matter between us and the Chamber of Commerce."

“I can’t let you get involved.”

"What grudges or anything like that!"

Luffy said loudly.

"You are the good people, they are the bad people, it's that simple!"

"I will never let bad people bully good people!"

As he spoke, Luffy was about to force his way out.

But Red stopped him again.

"Really, it's not necessary. We can handle it ourselves."

A determined light shone in Red's eyes.

"We have prepared an evacuation route."

"At worst, we can leave this island and continue our work elsewhere."

But what about the poor?

Luffy asked anxiously.

"Without your help, they will starve to death!"

Red's face darkened.

"There's nothing we can do about it."

"Our strength is limited; we cannot save everyone."

Just then, the merchant guild's warships opened fire again.

This time, their target is the main mast of the Black Flag Pirates.

If the mainmast is hit, they will be unable to sail.

The shell whistled through the air and was about to hit the target.

But at this crucial moment, Luffy suddenly made his move.

"Rubber, rubber—balloon!"

Luffy's body instantly inflated into a giant balloon, deflecting all the incoming cannonballs back.

The cannonball changed direction and flew towards the merchant guild's warship.

"boom!"

One of the warships was hit by its own cannonball, and a fire broke out on its deck.

Seeing this, Red was completely shocked.

Why are you helping us?

Luffy returned to normal and turned to look at Red.

"Because I believe you are good people."

"Although you are pirates, you have kind hearts."

"I will never let bad people bully good people!"

Upon hearing Luffy's words, Red and his crew were moved to tears.

For so many years, they have been misunderstood and treated as villains.

I never expected that someone would actually believe in them and even help them today!
(End of this chapter)